He said: “The machines may be cheap to put in, but the cost of maintenance is very high. Those costs are being passed on to customers.”

Train users in Coventry station had mixed opinions about the proposed increases. Keith Hamer, an asset manager from London, said: “I think rises are inevitable.

“The cost of running the infrastructure on the railways does not reduce and if we are to maintain a good service we must expect a rise.”

Nick Rushton, a student at Leeds University, said: “I pay for a rail pass that costs £80 and if it goes up again I will not be able to afford it.

“They keep telling you to use the trains and other public transport but they don’t make it easy to do that.”

Vitor Paiva, a student from Brazil, said: “I think the rises are ridiculous. The prices we are paying now are more than fair. I do not see why the fares are going up.

“We have seen massive protests in South America against ticket price increases, and I strongly believe the British people should gather and make some noise about this – we definitely do not need these rises.”

Stephanie Clifford, of the Rugby Rail Users Group, said: “For a lot of people there is no choice but to pay up, or lose their job. It’s got to be a bad situation for the individual.”